The National tribune., 1887-04-28
A. ]. SMITHS "GUERRILLAs."
What They Did After the Battle OF Nashville.

What They Did After the Battle OF Nashville.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Taking up the
movements Of Gen. A. J. Smiths Sixteenth
Corps in part where COmradc Phelps left them
at the battle Of Nashville / viii try and give
some illustration of what / saw while with
them during the latter part of the war. In
the first place, he asks COmrade Butler as to the
battery the hill at Nashville in the rear OF
the First Division, that did such effective
work. 1t was the Sd Ind. battery, and Drawer,
more effective lot of men never worked a bat
terry. they were brigaded with the Second
Brigade, Second Division, COL James /. Gilbert,
9th Iowa, commanding. 10 was they who did
such effective work at TUpelO with double
shotted grape and canister standing by their
guns when twice during the battle the rebels
| nearly got their hands on them, and the boys
drew their sabers. Their horses we're nearly
all killed and more than half their men killed
or wounded. After that fight the 9th Iowa
helped to draw their guns off the field.
/ After the battle of Nashville we followed the
shattered army of Hood as far as EastpOrt,
Miss, on the Tennessee River arriving on Jan.
81, 1865, and going into camp with orders to
/ build Winter quarters. We did build quarters,
| or began TO, but before we got them completed,
/ on the 9th of February we broke camp and
took transports bound for the Gulf arriving at
/ New Orleans Feb. 81. March we crossed the
| gulf to Dauphin's Island, remaining few days,
| then up Fish River and across to Blakely and
Spanish Forts. As to Bakely, Carleton" in
| his article on Gen. Cauby's campaign in rear Of
Mobile, barely mentions the Sixteenth Corps,
and one would be led to think that Gen. Steeles
cOOred troops did all the fighting and captured
the whole garrison; but we think "a. Us"
Sixteenth Corps took a very active part in that
fight.
The Second Division occupied the center TO
the left of Steele IL was my lot to be on the
slirmish-line on that memorable Sunday, the
9th Of April, and from our advanced position
had a fair view of the whole line formed for
the assault Gen. Steelc's Division, on the
right, was started first. as it had not got nearly
so close to the rebel fort during the siege as the
Second Division Of the Sixteenth Corps. Every
thing in the fort was still as death not man
could be seen, not a gun fired. As soon as
Steele's men started the rebels opened on them
with terrible effect. We could sec the men fall
all along the line, and they f;iltered in con-
fusion when cheer went up from the fort that
extended all along the rebel line. In our front
they even jumped upon their works and waved
their hats and flags.
No sooner did their yell die away than the
signal for the assault all along the line was
given, and the Second Division of Che Sixteenth
Corps went into that charge. "Old A. j." was
there, and you can bet he went into that fight
with the boys, right at their heels, encourage
ing them with his peculiar phrases, and the
Second Division got there first, and had the
rebels on the run before Steeles men came in.
and many Of them jumped in aud were shot
in the water while attempting to swim across.
The Second Division marched long battalion
of prisoners out of the fort that night.
, Now, few words with the boys. What has
become Of the 17Sth Ny Are they still
; struggling? Are they still in the corners,
| lighting their pipes aud making their coffee,
I, with their large tobacco sacks and their small
r haversacks? Poor Dutchmen they had to
, take the abuse of the whole brigade. Every
l straggler in the whole command belonged to
|, the 175th N Y" On that famous Missouri
raid we happened to be ON rear guard one day.
IL was tough day, and there were lots of stray
v glers. "a. j." rode up to squad of men, urged
: them along. and asked to what regiment they
c belonged. They answered in chorus . 17Sth ~.
t Y" Turning to Gen. Gilbert, Smith said that
must be id big regiment, as he had seen
a more than 5000 men that day who said they
r belonged to it. But they were always on hand
{ in a fght.-E. " SMITH, Co. O, 9th Iowa,
e Owosso Mich.